Chapter 7 Finally, She’s Back

“This phone is really nice.” Chloe let out an awkward little laugh and came up with the excuse on the spot.

“Do you like it?” Nathan asked. “Should I have the driver buy you one right now?”

“No need.” Chloe waved both hands quickly. “It’s so late. The shops must be closed.”

Besides, what kind of phone could she even buy?

This one was obviously expensive. With the little money she had on her, she had no idea how long it would need to last. She absolutely could not afford to spend recklessly.

Nathan seemed to catch her hesitation. “Then how about this? Tomorrow, I’ll take you out, show you the neighbourhood, help you get familiar with the area. I can buy you a phone then.”

“Really? Wouldn’t that be inconvenient?” Chloe asked uncertainly.

He might already have a partner now. If so, would that woman really be comfortable with him taking another woman out shopping?

“Not at all,” Nathan said with a faint smile, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

A small rush of happiness rose in Chloe’s chest.

She wanted to go out too. She wanted to see this strange, unfamiliar world with her own eyes.

It frightened her a little, yes. But she had always been optimistic. Deep down, she believed that as long as she was willing, she could adapt.

She lifted her head and smiled at Nathan.

It was the first real smile she had given him all night.

“Thank you very much.”

“No problem.”

Nathan simply looked at her quietly.

He had been sitting like that all evening, on the single armchair beside her, watching her in silence.

In the past, they never would have sat this far apart. They had always been tangled up with each other—either she curled up in his arms or he lay with his head in her lap.

Now, this tiny distance between them felt like twenty-three years.

Cold. Deep. Impossible.

Neither of them seemed willing to cross it first.

Chloe had no idea how to find the videos on his phone, so Nathan leaned over to help her.

She stole a glance at him.

His features were sharper now, his face more defined, the lines of it harder. Time had turned him into a fully grown man. The bright, beautiful boy she remembered was gone.

And yet not completely.

He was reserved with everyone else, but still patient with her. Still gentle.

Back then, whenever she teased him, his ears would turn red. He would press his lips together, trying and failing to hide the smile in his eyes.

She had always loved his eyes most.

When he looked at her, they had once shone so brightly that anyone could tell how much he adored her.

Now, his gaze was calm.

Unreadable.

“Let’s watch this one.” Nathan tapped open a page and handed the phone back to her, cutting off her thoughts.

Chloe looked down at the title and gasped. “Isn’t this CSI: Las Vegas? Season Two only aired last night. Wait—don’t tell me it’s already finished? Perfect. I can binge the whole thing.”

She blinked again. “There’s CSI: NY too? Why did they change the lead? Who’s this guy?”

Then, without waiting for an answer, she grabbed his sleeve. “Find the others too. The ones I watch.”

As a born drama addict, Chloe was instantly absorbed. For a little while, she forgot the chaos in her heart and focused completely on the screen in her hand.

Nathan sat beside her in silence.

He tried not to look at her.

He failed.

His gaze kept drifting back to her, again and again.

She was exactly as vivid as she had been in his memory. Young. Bright. Alive. Her skin was smooth, her hair a glossy golden-brown, and every little expression on her face brimmed with life.

When she smiled, it was as though the whole room grew lighter.

She was back.

Finally, she was back.

Even now, he could hardly believe it.

But deep in his heart, he thanked God for returning her to him.

Nathan’s hand, resting against the sofa cushion, moved toward her almost without his noticing.

Slowly. Quietly.

Just as his fingers were about to brush hers, he stopped.

A faint smile curved his lips. There was sweetness in it, and pain.

Yes.

Just being this close was enough.

It reminded him of when they were younger, when she used to come to him with questions. After he explained them, she would rest her chin on the desk and complain, This is so hard. Being at the bottom of the class is exhausting.

Then she would tilt her head and stay there, pouting.

Her hair would spill across his desk in soft strands. Every single time, his fingers would creep closer, because even the smallest touch of her felt like enough to make his whole day worth living.

All these years later, it seemed he had not changed at all.

Nathan let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh.

Just as he started to lean in, the phone lit up with an incoming call.

Flustered, Chloe fumbled it and accidentally hit the green answer button.

A lively boy’s voice burst from the speaker at once.

“Dad, where are you? Why aren’t you home yet? Did you buy the maths workbook I asked for? Teacher said we need it tomorrow!”

Chloe froze.

She turned to Nathan, staring at him blankly, so stunned she did not even notice the phone slipping from her hand.

The boy on the line kept shouting, “Dad? Dad! Can you hear me?”

Nathan bent down, picked up the phone, and answered in a steady, controlled voice.

“I’ll be home soon. I bought the workbook.”

“Don’t eat snacks this late. If you’re hungry, drink some milk.”

“Alright. Don’t wait up for me. Go to sleep first.”

Each word struck Chloe harder than the last.

Dad.

Home.

Workbook.

Milk.

Go to sleep.

Such ordinary things. Such intimate things.

The kind of small, domestic words that belonged inside a life.

A life Nathan had built without her.

Chloe’s chest tightened so violently it hurt.

She had expected this. Of course she had.

But expectation was one thing.

Hearing it was another.

Hearing a child call Nathan Dad with easy familiarity felt like being carved open from the inside.

She fought the sting in her nose, but her eyes were already red.

After Nathan hung up, Chloe parted her lips. Her throat was dry.

“Was that your son?”

Nathan kept his head lowered.

After a moment, he answered softly, “Mm.”

“How old is he?”

“Fifteen.”

Fifteen.

The number hit her like a slap.

Old enough to call him every night.
Old enough to wait for him at home.
Old enough to have occupied years that should have belonged to her.

“Oh.” Chloe’s fingers curled tightly into her palms. She forced a smile that looked more painful than tears. “That’s good. That’s really good. You should go back now. Don’t keep your son waiting.”

She had wanted to say your wife and son.

But the word wife would not come out.

She could not say it.

The thought of Nathan having another woman beside him—sleeping in his bed, sharing his meals, carrying his children, hearing him come home at night—made something vicious and miserable rise in Chloe’s chest.

Just this morning, she had still been his wife.

Just this morning, she had been planning to go home, climb into his arms, and talk to him about having a baby.

And now there was already another child in his life. Another claim. Another home.

Her home.

Her place.

Her man.

He was mine.

The thought flashed through her so hot and ugly it frightened her.

No.

That was not fair.

It had been twenty-three years for him.

A whole lifetime.

What right did she have to accuse him? What right did she have to demand anything at all?

Could she really say, Why didn’t you wait for me?

Could she really ask, I was only gone for twenty-three years. Was that really so long?

The answer was obvious, and it crushed her all the same.

Chloe closed her eyes. It took everything in her to force the words out.

“Go back.”

Nathan did not move.

He only lowered his head, silent.

That silence snapped the last thread holding her together.

Chloe shot to her feet so abruptly the chair scraped against the floor. “Go back to him, then!” she cried, her voice cracking. “Go! Just go!”

Nathan looked up sharply.

Tears were streaming down her face now, hot and furious.

“You should go,” she said again, choking on the words. “Your son is waiting for you. Your family is waiting for you. So what are you still doing here?”

Nathan’s face tightened.

Chloe gave a short, unsteady laugh that sounded close to breaking. “What, do you feel guilty? Is that it? You don’t have to. I’m the one who disappeared. I’m the one who came back at the wrong time. Congratulations, Nathan. You moved on exactly like a normal person.”

The moment the words left her mouth, her heart twisted.

Because they were cruel.

And because they were true.

Nathan stood still, saying nothing.

That only made it worse.

Chloe took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself as if she were suddenly freezing. “Just go,” she whispered. “Please. Before I say something worse.”

For a long moment, Nathan did not move.

Then he finally rose.

But instead of leaving at once, he stood there looking at her, his eyes dark with something she could not bear to examine too closely.

“Get some rest,” he said hoarsely.

Then he turned and walked to the door.

Chloe stood rigid, her nails digging into her palms, listening to every step.

He opened the door.

Paused.

And then, without looking back, he left.

The soft click of the latch echoed through the room.

At that sound, whatever was left of Chloe’s composure shattered completely.

She covered her face and burst into tears.